Manufacture of formaldehyde compounds and products.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL AISLEBEN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR'TO JOHANN ABRAHAM voiv WT FF FING, 0F BERLIN, GERMANY.

1,018,736. Nobrawing.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, PAUL-American, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, resldmgat Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in t-he Manufacture of Formaldehyde lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a variation of the process for the production 'of a formaldehyde compound'describedyin the U. S. Patent No. 849,815.. In the ,said patenta Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 27. 1911. Serial No. 604,097.

Compounds-and Products, of which the fol process for the formation of :1 formaldehyde compound from formaldehyde and milk sugar i's described. V

My anvention consists in replacing the milk' sugar by other sugars such as' cane sugar, glucose, galactose, or fructose.

Iwill now proceed to describe my invenv tion.

The advantages ofthe sugar compounds of formaldehyde are set forth at length in the above mentioned patent, but only-one combination, namely that of one molecule ofmilk sugar with five molecules of formaldehyde, is therein described. Now I have discovered that other bioses give exactly determinable compounds with formaldehyde of the like general composition. This is'espe cially the case. with lcane sugar, the crysta'L line compound of which free from water contains 30.5% formaldehyde exactly corresponding to the theoretical composition.

The compound can befobtained by the' same method as that given in the U. S. Patout No; 849,815, it can be pulverized and is permanent in dry air. Of the monoses, glucose is that; most easily obtainable in commerce. As, however, glucose itself {crystallizes with difiiculty and shows an inclination to remain in the syrupy condition, it is not surprising that the formaldehyde comound can only be obtained in dryi'pulverizable condition with extraordiinn'y difliculty and moreover has a great inclination to pass over again into a syrup. The tough syrup contains for-. two molecules glucose, five molecules of formaldehyde (the amount calculated is 29.4 and that found in practice averages 29.4). It is not very easy to recognize exactly the end point of the reaction. If .the last t-racesof water. are not removed,

- then there is easily obtained a product richer MANUFACTURE or FORMAIQDEHYDE comrounns AND rnonucrs.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

in formaldehyde while if the drying be too severe, slightlosscs of formaldehyde occur. \Vhat has been said in regard to glucose applies also in the case of galaotosc, with which in the final producta fornmldelrwle content of about 30% was obtained. ()n the other hand, fructose appears to possess only a slighter combination power for formaldehyde.

With the monoses especially glucose, the

easily be rendered possible by mixing the concentrated solution in which the glucose {formaldehyde compound has already been ably milk sugar, and drying itin. air at about 70 centigrade.

The above mentioned formaldehyde suga r eompounds are easily soluble-in water and with greater difiiculty in alcohol, but are insoluble in other. 'On dissolving in alcohol the compounds separate after some time into their component parts, on which reaction a ain.

process:

1. 15'kilos of 40% aqueous formaldehyde .solution areheated to 50 centigrade, and then- 10 kilos of cane sugar are added and as soon as it has been dissolved the mixture is evaporated in ormuo at about05 eontigrade. As soon as a concentration of 35 Baum has been attained, the further drying in the air can be carried out 'at from 05 to 70 centigrade. a concentration in 'vacuo to a higher density, over 42 Baum, so thatthe syrup only just remains able to be poured out. It is then convertible'by heating in air to about 70 quickly into an absolutely dry product which canbev pulverized-in the cold but which is very hygroscopic; p

2. 1.5 kilos of 40% formaldehyde 'solution are heated to 50? centigrade,-then 1 kilo of glucose is united in and the solution is evaporated z'n-bacuo to from to centigradeto .a density -ef ab ut 40 Ba'um.

machine with three times the bulk of milk sugar; and the product obta ls Wrought formed with an excess of a sugar, proton.

The following examples are given of the But it is also possible to effect removal of the last traces 'ofxwater and the obtaining of a' pulverizableproduct can the galactose-formaldehyde compound scparates out the galactose almost quantitatively The syrup is then mingled 1n the kneading fully to dryness in air at 70 centigrade. The product thus obtained can be used for g the production of tabloids, powders, etc.

3. l50 graius of 40% formaldehyde solu tion are heated to-50 centigrade and then mixed with 100 grams of crystallized galactose or fructose and evaporated in vacuo after the solution has taken place. There re-- sults an extremely tough transparent mass which cannot be pulverized, and in the case of-galactose contains about and in the case of fructose about 22% of formaldehyde.

If it be desired to obtain exactly measured preparations, then before the syrup becomes'too tough there should be mixed in. about. a three-fold bulk of milk sugar and then the last traces of water evaporated, by

' which means pulverizable products are obt-ained.

I claim: v 1. The process of producing a formaldehyde sugarcompound, comprising heating 3 parts by weight of 40% aqueous formalde-f hyde solution to a temperature ofabout C., adding 2 parts by weight of glucose, al-t' lowing the glucose to' dissolve, and crap by weight of glucose, allowing the glucose to dissolve, evaporating the mixturein vacuo at atemperature of about +70 C. to adensity of about 40 Baum, mixing the resulting syrup with about' th'ree times its bulk of inillbsugar, and drying the. product in the air at a temperature of about C.

3. A new article of commerce, comprising a formaldehyde sugar-compouud easily soluble in water arid soluble with greaterdifficulty inalcohol,but-insoluble in ether, con-' tain'in'g 30% of glucose in chemical combination with 70% offormaldehydqmixed with several times its bulk of; free 'milksugar. I

PAUL ALSLEBEN. Witnesses:

EMIL Gonomm, 'QEMIL' ScHMrrz 3: 

